The New York Mets thought they added a solid depth piece when they brought in 2020 World Series champion Brian Dozier. The veteran second baseman was fresh off six consecutive 20 home runs seasons and remained a legitimate power threat. Unfortunately, Dozier struggled to find consistency at the plate along with consistent playing time and was released a month after he was signed.
More Brian Dozier, on wrestling with the decision to play this season before ultimately signing with the Mets: pic.twitter.com/QBXS5JGJhC
— Anthony DiComo (@AnthonyDiComo) July 30, 2020
Dozier was a member of the San Diego Padres from Spring Training through his release in the middle of summer camp. After 11 days of toying with the idea of playing in the 2020 campaign, he decided to join the Mets right before the season.
Lack of Playing Time
The surprising emergence of Andres Gimenez and Luis Guillorme severely limited Dozier’s opportunities to play against right-handed pitching. All but two of Dozier’s plate appearances came against left-handed pitchers, but even then, it was hard to slot him in the lineup.
Dozier only started four of seven games over a two week period and only recorded two hits. Both hits were singles, and it was clear that he was struggling with transitioning into a bench role. It was the first time Dozier would not play in at least three-quarters of the season since his rookie season back in 2012. He also netted -2 defensive runs saved in the small sample size he played at second base.
The Mets released Dozier on August 23, and no other team picked him up for the rest of the season. It was shocking considering his past track record and his career .441 slugging percentage. As a worst-case scenario, Dozier will likely get spring training invites for 2021. There should still be plenty of value in his bat, despite the low batting average that comes with it.
2020 Grades On 20-80 Scale (2021 Projection)
Hitting: 20 (30), .244 career hitter should bounce back.
Power: 20 (45), May not bounce back to hit prime years, but still good for 15-20.
Run: 40 (35), Used to be a stolen base threat but not so much at this point.
Arm: 40 (40).
Field: 40 (40).
Overall: 20 (40), Could still be a useful player on a good team. Just needs consistent at-bats.